October 18, 2017
K-State hosts Kansas National Guard event today
A K-State center is hosting a gathering of local high school and university administrators today to hear about opportunities for students to get financial help from the Kansas National Guard while serving their country.
The K-State National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, or NABC, will provide introductions and presentations to visitors at the Biosecurity Research Institute on Wednesday morning, Oct. 18. More than 40 people will attend, and between 35 and 40 of those also will participate in a 15-minute Black Hawk Orientation Flight over the local area. The helicopters will use the east parking lot at Bill Snyder Family Stadium as a landing zone and will take off and land three times throughout the morning.
Craig Beardsley, program administrator at NABC, served 35 years with the Kansas National Guard and said he values the opportunity to pass information on to those who can help students get involved in the organization.
"Higher education is expensive, and this is one opportunity for outside funding for students, plus along the line they get to serve their country," Beardsley said.
"Some of my National Guard duties included working with recruiting command, so I saw firsthand how those opportunities were presented and how soldiers take advantage of the programs to further their education and lessen the financial burden on their families," he said.
Kansas National Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Mullinax will be participating in the event. She said guests will receive an overview of the Kansas Army National Guard and have a chance to meet some soldiers and view equipment.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to meet with community leaders in the Manhattan area and share our story of the Kansas National Guard," Mullinax said. "We would like to thank Kansas State University for allowing us to use their facilities to host this event."
NABC has a long history of collaborating with the Kansas National Guard. Past efforts include working with seven agribusiness development teams from Kansas and South Carolina that were deploying to Afghanistan to improve agricultural capabilities and economic development. NABC also helps connect the Kansas National Guard to K-State resources in a variety of fields such as political science, agriculture, and veterinary medicine.